You want to know the worst Dirk moment of last night’s Game 6? It wasn’t Matt Barnes dunking on him, or the litany of missed FGAs launched from the Naval Supply Center, or coughing up the ball as he struggled to get out of a trap in the right corner. Dirk’s least superstarrish moment last night came on the defensive end in the early part of the third quarter when his man, Stephen Jackson, set a high S/R on Devin Harris for Baron Davis. Davis dribbles right while Dirk…well, it was odd. He didn’t trap Davis, which had become Dallas’ m.o. in Game 5 and early Game 6. And you can understand, because (1) Davis can hardly move so blanketing him isn’t nearly the priority it was prior to the hamstring pull and (2) Stephen Jackson was lighting it up from the arc, so only a band of idiots would let that psychopath roll off a screen unfettered. So what does Dirk do?

Nothing. I mean it. He does nothing. As Baron moves right and Jackson sets up shop at the top of the arc, Dirk sags back into the lane where Diop has things under control. Oh, he must be picking up a slashing Richardson off the weak side, right? Nope. Well then, Dirk must sense that Jackson is going to work off the dribble? Wrong again. In fact, when Davis dishes the rock back to Jackson at his spot, Dirk doesn’t close. He doesn’t even set himself adequately for a potential Jackson dribble-drive, if that’s what he really thinks Jackson’s gonna do having sunk, like, 7 3PMs.

Dirk just stands there. It’s the weirdest thing. He doesn’t attempt to trap…but he doesn’t switch either. It’s not a hedge, because he’s put himself in position to guard neither Davis nor Jackson. It’s a colossal, big, German brainfart. Like agreeing to the Treaty of Versailles. Jackson sinks his umpteenth three, completely uncontested, and the bleeding continues for Dallas.

There isn't a worse crime in the NBA than dispassion, and that's why fans are turning on Dirk. It's not the losing, or the lousy shot selection, or even the historic nature of the upset. It's the close-mouthed manner in which Dirk absorbed the blow from GSW. That's the transgression.

Posted Wednesday, October 29 at 3:20PM

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Most of us wanted the Warriors to make the Mavs pay for not making GS earn the playoffs--and pay they did. The decision by the Mavs to give that game away must stand as one of the dumbest decisions in the history of sport. Mavs had probably a greater that 1 in 3 chance of making GS (a team that already had their number and looked more like a 2 or 3 seed than an 8 seed) go away in a single game--and they took a pass??? In a sense it was an honorable thing to do--to say, listen, we don't deserve to be NBA champs unless we can beat these guys--but I seriously doubt that was the basis of the decision. And then, in addition to being against self-interest, it wasn't sporting since the game still mattered to the Clips. It would be interesting to know how the decision was made and specifically whether Dirk argued for playing them straight up or for taking, or, instead, just silently went with the program.

That last game mavs/warriors game: Even if Dallal played their starters that game, I don't think they would have won. If anything, they should had played so the team could had stayed sharp and ready for the playoffs (liek the Suns did).

When I read your thoughts about Dirk Nowitzki's play in the 6th game against Golden State, I couldn't help myself than being angry and disappointed in your style of writing.

As a 21-year-old German you must think I am a great Dallas/Nowitzki fan. Well in a best case scenario I am a mediocre one. Dirk Nowitzki helps making Basketball popular here in my country and that's why Dallas/Nowitzki success is important to me.

But your thoughts you expressed in your blog seems like a piece of really bad jounalism this time.
First of all, you never ever can accuse Dirk Nowitzki of "dispassion". That's like calling Yinka Dare's career a success or something.
Few hate losing and personal failure more than the German and is willing to work on it. Remember when T-Mac guarded him and gave him a defensiv nightmare back in the playoff days? Next year no small forward could guard him. The Letdown in that Phoenix game last year? He answered with 50. Only to name a few.
There are also similarities when he is with the German national team, but I am sure you don't follow that. Dirk Nowitzki is an ultimate leader who is too humble and team orriented to be selfish. In that game 6 he was in too a deep hole to get out of, panic and disappointment were wirtten on his face. Few american journalists are brave enough to defend him and his achievements in the past when everybody else is "bashing" him. Weak move, America. Why do you always want your Jordan/Bird/Magic/... back? Nowitzki is simply Nowitzki and will be lauded in the Hall of Fame and go down as the greatest International and one of the best PFs ever.

Speaking about Germany: Your comment to a "colossal, big, German brainfart. Like the treaty of Versailles" was so inexcusable, and finally made me writing these lines.

Do you honestly think it was a German mistake to sign these treaty??? With houndreds of thousands dead, a population thats starving of hunger and no country allowed to help, absolute mess in the politics (the last German Kaiser Wilhelm II flew short before) and absolutely NO leadership from the gouvernment existing of aristocrates who concern just about theirselfs, what do you expect?? You want to stop this war by any means. If we hadn't signed it (under protest though) troops were about to march in. Germany was beaten and by signing this treaty we could still be a country at least. Though the reparations were very, very high, somehow it was correct. I could have written more, but that would have been too much.
I am not a historican, nor I don't want one to be, but I had history in school for years and, believe me, we spoke about our 20th century for months and years.

That's my opinion on your "masterpiece" of jounalism.

Feel free to publish these lines and I would like you to send me an e-mail back. Maybe I'm totally wrong?

Success of GSW is nothing to do with Dirk Nowitzki. The team which is going to win the championship often dismantles opposing teams no matter who they are playing against. Dirk is a first victim of GSW Bulldozing machine. Carlos Boozer would be next. And Tim Duncan would one before the last.

just read a really funny book called “Foul Lines,” by SI hoops writers Jack McCallum and Jon Wertheimer, and I thought my fellow Clips fans would enjoy it. It’s a great satire of the NBA today, with the names changed to protect identities (but it’s very easy to figure out who is who). It takes place in LA (the team is called the "Lasers"), so there's some funny LA-related stuff too, with the wild drivers and the pretentious trendy clubs. Everyone gets mocked, from rich owners in the mold of

04/11/08 18:12:25

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